Joe Paterno ‘sobbed uncontrollably’ the day after Penn State fired him

Joe Posnanski , formerly of Sports Illustrated, was given full access to Joe Paterno during the 2011 season for a biography he was writing on the coach. Posnanski moved out to State College in the summer of 2011 and had unprecedented access to both the coach and the Penn State program.

Posnanski arrived in State College expecting to get in the mind of a college football legend, but found himself in the epicenter of arguably the biggest scandal in college football history.

Though the book has not hit shelves yet, GQ has posted excerpts from the book. Among them are the Paterno family’s initial reaction to the grand jury case against Sandusky and how Scott Paterno began to prepare his father for the notion that he may never coach again. But what was most intriguing to us is how Paterno took the news that he was no longer the head football coach at Penn State University.

At Paterno’s house the day after he is fired via late-night telephone call from the Penn State board of trustees:

On Thursday, Paterno met with his coaches at his house. He sobbed uncontrollably. This was his bad day. Later, one of his former captains, Brandon Short, stopped by the house. When Brandon asked, “How are you doing, Coach?” Paterno answered, “I’m okay,” but the last syllable was shaky, muffled by crying, and then he broke down and said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.” Nobody knew how to handle such emotion. Joe had always seemed invulnerable. On Thursday, though, he cried continually.

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Comments

It is very difficult for me to feel sorry for a man who allowed the KILLING of children SOULS! Sports eventhough they provide a great deal of wealth for many people and institutions. A child’s life and their right to a healthy life is more important! Covering up years of this FILTH is animalistic, savage! The anger the rage I feel and I am not directly involved personally. This person has the nerve to cry because he wont be able to COACH! Mother F…….ker please! What about the emotional and mental damage these children had to endore. Betraied by a society that was suppose to protect them, provide for them, and enrich their lives with morals and principals to make a better world. Joe knew what was going on and he knew it was just a matter of time that the truth was going to be revealed. Jehovah is gracious because he is not here to face his SINS!

Seriously, I do believe that Blake has a good point. The physical and mental welfare of a child is FAR more important that just how many football games are won, and that if you have the authority to secure these, then this should be done 1st and foremost. Regardless of any athletic achievement.

However, it would appear to me that the late Joe Paterno is not the only one to pass blame to here. He had superiors to whom he communicated these atrocities as well. And, as well, they ALLOWED Jerry Sandusky’s savage conduct to continue. They could have over-ruled the coach, and did what was right. But, Paterno, being the actual face of the franchise, and winning as he did, took a higher priority if the Louis Freeh report is correct. That part would be against Penn State, not Paterno.

As for Paterno, he did at least admit later that he should have done more. Going to the Athletic Director—-his immediate superior—was clearly not enough. Perhaps good ol’ Joe thought otherwise. I certainly don’t know. But, at least the CAMPUS police should have been alerted if he wanted to keep this “in-house” as I am thinking.

It is written: “All that is done in the dark will come to the light.” That is indeed the case here. The truth will ALWAYS speak for itself. It is only a question of which side of it YOU are on when it does. For Joe Paterno, Judgment Day has come and gone. (R.I.P—I hope) For Jerry Sandusky, and anyone else involved, it is yet to come. As for all of the victims in this case, I wish you very well, and hope that your lives will now find a faster path to enrichment now that this has been finally exposed and deal with.

Wonder how much the kids who got raped sobbed. Sorry, the excuses offered by the Paterno family and their constant statements after the fact don’t carry much water. The old fall back of “Joe was from a different generation” also is weak. He worked in the modern generation and I don’t really know of many generations where a 50-60 year old man raping boys in the team shower was acceptable.

For Paterno, his superiors at Penn State and the campus police to let it go on from the first time it was reported make it even more reprehensible.

I have to agree with the other comments. We don’t like to think that a person like Joe Paterno would do or maybe in this case fail to do what is right in such a situation as this. The more details we hear, the worse it gets. I’m sorry for the families who were hurt and for the families of those involved. I can’t even begin to express in words the anger I have toward Sandusky and those who knew what was going on and not only failed to act on it but allowed it to go on for so long causing irreparable harm to those young boys. How could they even live with themselves? It’s all just mind-blowing and too horrible to even comprehend! I hope that anyone involved who may have also cried uncontrollably did so for the boys who were abused and not for themselves because their own lack of action is now revealed to the world!